The Rent Is Too Damn High (2012) - Plot & Excerpts
It's nice to read a liberal blogger who recognizes that rent controls and zoning restrictions reduce the standards of living for the poor and middle class, but at times the book seemed a little too conclusory, just repeating this message over and over again. I loved his idea that zoning restrictions on buildings' heights and occupancies actually help create the sprawl that progressives are so against: neighborhoods that are in desirable locations close to city centers that would otherwise be populated by apartment buildings (and therefore have high densities) instead turn into very wealthy neighborhoods of large suburban homes, pushing those who would have lived in the apartments farther out, away from the city center. Yglesias is one of the most lucid policy writers out there. The argument of this book won't be new to anyone who's read his blog, but it's a concise and approachable overview of an important problem.Part of the reason it's so approachable is that it doesn't prescribe many detailed solutions, because land use is generally a local issue. But if it can just shift the anti-development bias among both liberals (with its arguments about equality) and conservatives (with its arguments about deregulation), that will be significant progress.
What do You think about The Rent Is Too Damn High (2012)?
Great analysis about what is wrong with housing prices and how to solve it. Recommended.
—anitastipp
Short, to the point, and totally excellent. You should read this book.
—horsenut89
